Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast: ISW analyses Russia’s goals

Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast. Map: ISW

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War report that the Russians are pursuing several goals with their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast: to draw Ukrainian forces away from other areas, to advance within range of artillery fire on Kharkiv, to create a “buffer zone” to protect Belgorod, and to limit Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in the region.

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details: The ISW’s analysis indicates that Russian troops are conducting relatively limited offensive operations along the Russian-Ukrainian border in the north of Kharkiv Oblast and continue to make tactically significant gains in presumably less defensible areas.

Advertisement:

However, the analysts point out that the reported number of Russian units involved in these limited operations, as well as the grouping of Russian troops deployed along the border in northeastern Ukraine, indicates that Russian forces are not currently conducting a large-scale operation to surround or capture the city of Kharkiv.

ISW estimates that Russian troops have advanced to at least the outskirts of Ohirtseve and Hatyshche.

Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group, said that Russian troops were trying to advance in areas that were already disputed grey zones, indicating that Ukrainian forces are not holding strong positions in many small border towns.

Russian troops are likely to face more intense resistance as they attempt to advance south of the border and into larger border towns such as Lyptsi and Vovchansk. However, Kharkiv’s proximity to the border increases the significance of the limited tactical advantages of Russian forces, as the Russians do not need to advance much further to start threatening Kharkiv with regular shelling.

Russian troops reportedly launched offensive operations along the Russia-Ukraine border in northern Kharkiv Oblast before they had completed bringing the Northern Group of Forces to its planned final strength and have so far deployed only a limited number of combat units to conduct offensive operations in the area.

The ISW reported that Russian offensive operations in the north of Kharkiv Oblast were likely intended to distract Ukrainian forces from other parts of the front, allowing the Russians to advance to the city of Kharkiv within reach of artillery fire.

Russian troops are maintaining the momentum of their offensive operations along…